Daniel Hardy produced a game-changing play in last Sunday's 24-17 season-opening win over the Titans, blocking a punt that teammate Jonathan Owens returned 21 yards for a touchdown and igniting a rally in which the Bears erased a 17-0 deficit.
But that's not what Hardy wanted to discuss Monday morning when he headed upstairs at Halas Hall to special teams coordinator Richard Hightower's office.
"After he was recognized by coach (Matt Eberflus) as one of the players of the game that contributed and all that, the kid came right up to my office and wanted to know what he could get better at and the areas he didn't do good in the game," Hightower said. "That will give you a peek into what type of character person he is. He was more concerned about what he messed up in the game than what he did well."
Hardy cultivated that mentality at every stop of his football journey, from Valley Catholic High School in Beaverton, Oregon, to College of the Siskiyous—a community college in Northern California—to Montana State to the NFL.
"It's something you pick up along the way, just learning how to be a competitor," Hardy said. "I was fortunate to have numerous fantastic coaches along my career and that was something they always talked about, especially that 24-hour rule.
"Whether you win or lose, sit down and enjoy it or embrace the suck, but once that's over with, we're moving on. We're trying to see what we can fix, what we can get better [at]. It's a new week. We're 0-0 right now. That's all that was, just getting ready for the next week, how can I get better."
Hardy applied a similar attitude when he arrived at training camp this summer. After spending all of last season on the Bears practice squad, he knew he'd have to produce multiple impact plays to earn a spot on the 53-man active roster.
Hardy accomplished that goal, tying for the NFL lead in the preseason with 3.5 sacks.
"Training camp is long and hard, so it was really just one day at a time," he said. "Focus on one or two things to try to get better at every day and then stack days. That's all it was. Just keep your head down and find a way to be better at something every day."
Hightower has been impressed with Hardy as a person and a player.
"What Daniel Hardy has done is a testament to not only him but to his family, how he was raised, how he goes about his business," Hightower said. "And it's a testament to our personnel department finding a guy like that because a lot of people didn't know who Daniel Hardy was. And for him to work and develop and make the plays that he's made, I'm very proud of him."
Hardy entered the NFL in 2022 as a sixth-round pick with the Rams. He appeared in six games as a rookie, playing 41 snaps on defense and 128 on special teams. After being waived last summer as part of final cuts, he was signed to the Bears practice squad two days later.
The 25-year-old knows that his NFL longevity is dependent on making plays like the one that helped the Bears rally to beat the Titans.
Hardy's blocked punt was unorthodox in that he beat linebacker Jack Gibbens at the line of scrimmage and was still trying to disengage from the blocker when he swarmed punter Ryan Stonehouse.
"After watching it on film, it looked like I blocked it with my side," Hardy said. "I honestly have no idea. I knew I made contact with something and then I heard the crowd go nuts and saw the ball. It was just a great feeling to not only block it but being able to translate that into a score.
"It was amazing to be able to help the team, especially in that moment of the game. We needed a spark, and I'm happy I was able to be a part of that and help the Bears go 1-0."
